Chapter Two-Hundred-and-Fifty-Six

Adam returned to Interim Island, this time without Belamouranthe.

I can’t believe I got 8,750 points out of stage four, he thought to himself. He still had the twenty points left from before the stage, which meant that after buying the 24 upgrades he needed to reach level 120, he would still have 2,290 points left.

It’s not enough to get more fated wishing stones, but it will let me hopefully buy a pugilist’s belt.

He looked up to the sky above the island, but Luvicidix didn’t come down to meet him, perhaps because she could sense he wasn’t going to buy any upgrades from her.

Once I’ve evolved the last time with Fool, I will have enough mastery shards to be able to give her a vanity. Then I’m sure she’ll come see me.

Instead of heading for the market like he always did, Adam went towards the player house, going around the back and passing the lighthouse, until he found a patch of grass covered in ash.

Embers suddenly fell around him and Parvillo, as Fal appeared out of nowhere, freezing time.

“You return,” she remarked.

“You have the Lonesome Spire bargain available for me now, right?”

Fal inclined her head slightly, then she moved her arms through the air, trailing ash and embers behind her smouldering hands.

< < Fal’s Soul Bargains > >

< Mask of Greed — Bosses reward a bonus chest on death — Vendors stop selling upgrades >

< Double Charge — One-time-use Relics gain a second use — Lose 5% of all Stats when a Relic exhausts all uses >

< Lonesome Spire — Double all Stats — Stages cannot be completed while teammates are alive >

< Nameless — Obtain the Hood of Namelessness — Every confrontation avoided lowers Damage and Health by 5% >

< Invading Stone — Invade the Dimension of a known Player — You no longer regenerate on Interim Island >

“I’ll take it,” Adam said.

“Are you certain you wish to enter into a bargain of the soul?” Fal asked seriously. “Once committed, the bargain cannot be undone until the coil wounds anew.”

“I’m certain,” Adam answered.

Fal moved her hands through the air again, until only the Lonesome Spire choice remained.

Then Adam felt a pull on his body, as though a sudden draft was dragging him towards the floating text. Only, it wasn’t a physical sensation, but rather one that affected his literal soul.

A tendril of pale-glowing white light reached out from Adam’s torso, extending until it touched the floating text.

Then the bargain lit aflame, the text turning orange and red as it raced along Adam’s soul, inscribing its words onto his being.

When it was done, the tendril of his soul retreated to his body and the dragging sensation passed.

< < Soul Bargain Entered > >

< Lonesome Spire — Double all Stats — Stages cannot be completed while teammates are alive >

Adam’s breath came in ragged as though he’d been running, which was odd, because his slime body didn’t even have the organs to breathe. Still, there was a tender and sore feeling inside of him, and if he’d had the ability to, he was sure sweat would’ve been running down his brow.

“There is nothing else for me to do here now,” Fal said, sounding like she was about to leave Interim Island.

“I’d still like to see what other options you might unlock later, even if I can’t take them this loop.”

She paused for a moment. “Very well,” she said, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly, though the expression was gone a moment later. Then she disappeared, and time resumed its natural flow.

Let’s have a look at how insanely-powerful I’ve become.

< < Player Status > >

< Adam >

< Grinning Scholar >

< Level 96 >

< Stats >

< Health — 1,834 (+505) {+655} [+524] >

< Stamina — 588 () {+210} [+168] >

< Mana — 70 () {+25} [+20] >

< Damage — 3,556% (+970%) {+1,270%} [+1,016%] >

< Affliction — 280% () {+100%} [+80%] >

< Defence — 1,330% (+400%) {+475%} [+380%] >

< Dodge — 330% (+118%) {+118%} [+94%] >

< Speed — 3,500% (+1,050%) {+1,250%} [+1,000%] >

< Luck — 119 (+60) [+34] >

[ Modifiers ]

< Lonesome Spire >

< Glass Tree +40% >

< < Upgrades > >

< Bleed 840% (+300%) {+300%} [+240%] >

< Crush 1,050% (+375%) {+375%} [+300%] >

< Force 420% (+150%) {+150%} [+120%] >

< Venom 490% (+175%) {+175%} [+140%] >

This is becoming truly unwieldy to read through, but holy fuck!

If I’m understanding it correctly, the stats show my total, followed by the addition from my upgrades and the crown boost on my health and damage, then comes the doubling effect from Lonesome Spire, and lastly the glass tree’s 40% boost.

Thanks to all of those compounding elements, my damage and speed are both so absurd now. Even my health and defence are completely busted. My stamina is also just insanely high, despite investing no points into it. Bleed and crush are both super strong now as well, which in turn make my bear traps fucking scary.

Affliction also showed up as a stat, since it was doubled from 100%, which made the glass tree affect it. That will make my bleed and venom afflictions more than twice as effective, which in turn doubles their power. Truly a busted combination, really.

For a moment, I worried that the soul bargain would only work on my base stats, since that wouldn’t have been very powerful.

But to be honest, I’m kind of terrified of just how strong I’ve gotten. I definitely need it to fight back against the Flayed Lady, but will it even be a competition anymore?

There is one peculiar thing, though.

“Why is my luck unaffected?” he asked.

[It would be too easy to benefit from the Soul Bargain otherwise. The Lonesome Spire is the one most Players have chosen in the past, so it was decided that it should not increase Luck, since that in itself provides a large measure of potential power.]

“Then why does the glass tree increase luck?”

[I do not know the answer to that, though I see now that it must have been an oversight. It was not meant to normally be available to Players from the start of the Trials of Defiance and thus this scenario was not accounted for.]

It’s like they’re commanding a ship with holes in the bottom, Adam mused. At least I mostly benefit from their lack of forethought.

Although, it can be argued that oversight is what led to my current situation with the Flayed Lady…

“What’s stopping the Flayed Lady from also taking this upgrade with all her puppets?” Adam wondered.

[Nothing. It is likely a strategy she will employ, if she can make her adherents collect the required number of Mastery Shards to purchase the Visiting Stone and discover the soul-bargaining moth.]

“So, this might not be that big of an advantage after all?”

[On the contrary. I believe there has never before been a Player this powerful going into Stage Five.]

“Can I hurt myself with my own power? Some of my punches were strong enough to cause a large burst of wind before, and now they’ll be more than twice as powerful.”

[Yes, you are able to hurt yourself, though only through the aftermath of your own attacks. No matter how fast your hands and feet may move, they will not disconnect from your body. We have already fixed that issue.]

If Adam had been able, his face would’ve drained of colour at the thought. He hadn’t even considered that possibility.

“Is there anything else like that I should be worried about?”

[Not as far as I am aware, but perhaps we will discover such unintended behaviour together.]

“Is that an attempt at a joke?”

[No.]

“Awesome…”

Adam found Sprite leaning over the edge of the fountain in the market, staring down into the water, while Yenna sat nearby on a stool, watching his antics.

“Hello Adam,” she greeted him, her eyes lingering on his porcelain mask for a long moment.

“What’s he doing?” Adam asked.

“I am merely observing the qualities of this peculiar water,” Sprite replied, his voice even more muffled than usual, thanks to his head being hidden behind the edge of the fountain.

“I brought you the plant you wanted from the Elphin Sanctuary,” Adam told him.

“Oh, excellent!” he replied, pulling himself up and coming over to them.

Adam handed him the branch.

< < Quest Progress > >

< Plantastic Alchemy >

< Sprite would like you to bring him plants from 5 different Stages >

< Progress — 4/5 >

“Just one more now,” Adam muttered. “But what plants grow in the Forbidden Altar?”

“I believe there is a type of fluorescent fungus called a Wiltercap, though it is of course deadly to touch. Luckily, you are already equipped with an inert hand, purpose-made for grabbing anything that is repellent to normal humans.”

“I’m pretty sure my stone hand wasn’t made to grab plants,” Adam said.

Sprite lifted the branch from the great tree in front of his glowing eyes. “The Heart Spire tree is normally too well-guarded for any aspiring alchemist to grab a sample. I will enjoy delving the secrets of this specimen.”

“Do you have any use for this?” Adam asked, pulling out the rotmaker idol.

“Ah, but that is not a plant. It is a phantasm of condensed negative energies. A byproduct of the elphin people’s unorthodox burial rituals.”

Before Adam could ask what that meant, Sprite had run off with the branch.

“He may be an unusual sort, but alchemy can be of great use to you,” Yenna said.

Parvillo didn’t make any comments about her very obvious hint, but then again, he was trying to help Adam as well, and so far he hadn’t made a big fuss about fairness, unlike Shitbox.

“I just wish he didn’t always imply that he was doing experiments on the denizens here,” Adam replied.

“The next stage will be your true test of power,” Yenna remarked, changing the subject. “Do you feel ready?”

“I’ve got everything I need to meet the Chaotic Convergence,” Adam said. “At least I think so.”

[You do,] Parvillo confirmed.

“The Flayed Lady is ramping up her efforts to deny you,” Yenna replied. “She will do everything in her power to win.”

“Are you able to see what other versions of you see?” Adam asked.

Yenna shook her head. “I do not possess the power of dimensionality.”

“Then how do you know?”

“It is in the melody of this world. Its notes are discordant and pained. Those trapped under her thumb cannot fight back, but their melodies echo all they feel.”

“I still don’t get why it’s my responsibility to fix it,” Adam said.

[It is because the origin of the Flayed Lady’s actions stems from you,] Parvillo said.

“I shed her ‘gift’ in my previous loop,” he argued. “It cannot be my fault.”

[Not all of it was removed. She buries her roots deep.]

Adam frowned. “You don’t mean…?”

[Yes. It appears it may have infected your soul and in turn latched onto your dimensional shard.]

“What happens if the Chaotic Convergence can’t get rid of it?”

Yenna put her clawed hand on Adam’s shoulder.

[I would be forced to remove the origin of her invasion. The Trials of Defiance must not be compromised.]

Adam clenched his hands.

“I knew you were nothing but an executioner,” he replied.

[I am allowing you to right this wrong yourself, before I take action. That is a mercy.]

“Oh sure, pitting me against a literal god. What a mercy,” Adam replied sarcastically.

“The truth is,” Yenna interjected, “Parvillo does not believe that condemning you to oblivion would be a surefire solution.”

Parvillo fixed his eyes on Yenna. [While I am allowing you expanded liberties in order to aid Adam Fischer, you will observe what is and is not for you to say.]

“Threatening him is only going to increase the pressure he is already under,” Yenna argued, not backing down. Although Parvillo was no bigger than a handbag, his true visage was likely more deadly and monstrous than anything Adam had faced thus far, and Yenna knew that. But still she challenged the eldritch creature, all for his sake.

[Very well. I shall refrain from such commentary unless necessary.]

“I can’t just unhear what you told me,” Adam replied.

[Understood. As a mercy, I will allow you to fail our objective once. It means another universe will fall to the Flayed Lady’s perversions if you die and loop, but the Watcher of Worlds was adamant you must be part of the solution.]

“I won’t fail,” he replied. Unlike in the past, Adam truly believed his own words this time. It wasn’t just the absurd power he now wielded. It was the fact that he had experience and knowledge on his side as well.

I used to never do well under pressure, but it looks like I’ve shed that old weakness of mine.